The floor planner is free for everyone, starting now
Draw or upload a plan, calibrate the scale, and get measured areas and a first-pass material take-off. No licence, no seat count, no trial clock. Here is what it does and what it deliberately does not.
Every estimate starts the same way. Someone opens a plan, measures rooms, writes areas on a printout, and types them into a spreadsheet. It takes a couple of hours, it is where a surprising number of costing errors are born, and it is the least interesting work in the whole business.
We built a tool for that hour. As of today it is free for everyone - no licence, no seat count, no trial clock, and no Nuvailo account required.
What it actually does
- 1
Start from a drawing or from scratch
Upload a plan as an image or PDF, or draw the layout directly on the canvas if all you have is a site sketch and a tape measure.
- 2
Calibrate the scale once
Click two points on a dimension you know - a 12 ft wall, a standard door - and type the real distance. Everything measured afterwards inherits that scale. This single step is what separates a real take-off from a guess.
- 3
Trace the areas that matter
Rooms, wet areas, external walls, the slab outline. Each closed shape carries its own area and perimeter.
- 4
Read the first-pass quantities
Areas, perimeters and counts, grouped so they line up with how a BOQ is actually structured rather than how a CAD file is.
Why free, and what the catch is
The floor planner is a standalone tool: you draw or upload your plan, get measured areas and material quantities, and export the Excel or DXF yourself to use in your estimates.
There is no data hostage clause. Export what you measure, close the tab, and never come back if it does not suit you. A tool you cannot leave is not a tool, it is a trap.
What it is not
| It is | It is not |
|---|---|
| A fast way to get measured areas off a plan | A drafting package - it will not replace AutoCAD or Revit |
| A first-pass quantity sheet you can sanity-check | A certified take-off you should submit without review |
| Accurate to the scale you calibrate against | Able to correct a distorted scan or a plan drawn out of scale |
| Useful for slabs, rooms, finishes, wet areas | A structural quantity engine - rebar scheduling stays with your engineer |
A take-off tool that claims to remove the quantity surveyor is selling you the one thing it cannot deliver. This one removes the tracing.
Where it fits in an estimate
- 1Measure the plan here. Minutes, not hours.
- 2Check the areas against your own spot measurements. Trust but verify, especially on the first few jobs.
- 3Price them - in Nuvailo against a BOQ template, or in whatever you use today.
- 4Keep the calibrated plan attached to the job, so the next person can see where a number came from.
Calibrate against the longest known dimension on the plan, not the shortest. A 2 percent error on a 1 metre reference becomes a 2 percent error on every wall in the building - measured over 10 metres, the same click precision costs you far less.
Questions this raises
Do I need a Nuvailo account to use it?+
No. The floor planner is completely standalone and open to anyone without creating an account.
Will it stay free?+
Yes, for the take-off itself. We would rather earn money from the ERP than from the hour before it.
How accurate is it?+
As accurate as your scale calibration and your tracing. On a clean plan, calibrated against a long known dimension, it is good enough to price from. On a photographed printout at an angle, it is not - and no software fixes that.
Can I use it on a phone?+
It works, but tracing accurately with a finger is hard. Use a mouse or a stylus for anything you intend to price.